


Twisted Nightshade

by The_Frying_Pan



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Silver has PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29199822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Frying_Pan/pseuds/The_Frying_Pan
Summary: A twin project to Project Shadow existed on the Space Colony ARK but was never released... until now. Now the young project awakens upon Earth, confused as to where she is.This book will be written on Wattpad as well. If you have a suggestion for a cover (or draw one) please send it to me on Wattpad. As the book continues, more characters may be added (Silver will appear later in the story).Here is the book on Wattpad. https://www.wattpad.com/1021222897-twisted-nightshade-project-nightshade-files
Kudos: 2





	1. Project Nightshade files

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first book on Ao3. I hope you enjoy.

Project Name: Project Nightshade or Project Shade

Goal: Create a deadly bio weapon that has the same abilities as Project Shadow to give to appease the military and keep the Space Colony ARK funding going.

Appearance: Black Hedgehog with purple eyes and stripes. Patch of white fur on chest. Tan muzzle. Gold inhibitor rings on wrists and ankles with hover shoes. White gloves.

Abilities: Immortal (untested), super speed (untested), super strength (untested), enhanced durability, immunity to disease, chaos control (untested). Chaos control is defined as the ability to harness the chaos emeralds. This includes, but is not limited to: teleportation, time warping, offensive capabilities, defensive capabilities, and both enhanced (subconscious) and instantaneous (conscious) healing.

Instincts: All of these are untested but are concepts and abilities that we made an effort to instil in the subject’s mind. These are: climbing tree-like objects (trees, ladders, etc), hiding in shadows, and keeping out of sight, as well as other various instincts all creatures should have (jumping, eating, etc).

Additional notes: The subject is female, but reproduction was deemed unnecessary so the subject has no reproductive system or breasts. This should be kept in mind though for things like voice, body development, and potential sexual orientation, if any at all. Many of the subject’s abilities are untested but, due to having a similar genome sequence to Project Shadow, the subject should have the same abilities. Take caution with how you handle the subject; her personality is unformed and thus, she will rely on instincts and any action done to her, near her, or against her, will be life shaping, even if it is small.

Status: Ready to be released


	2. Chapter 1: The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's begin the story with our girl awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my friend for editing this. They are tinyellow on Wattpad

Shade’s POV

It’s dark.

It’s dark?

Why is it dark?

What is this?   
  
I hear a hiss. I open my eyes to green. Lots and lots of green. Is this container green or are my surroundings green? How do I know any of this?

I feel things coming out of me. Tubes and wires. I feel them all on my skin. The hissing continues. 

The container is open. I step out onto the mossy ground. On the ground is a purple gem. I look around. Tall trees come into focus around me. Birds chirp around me. Maybe the gem could explain why I am here. I try to pick it up but the tubes and wires hold me back. I carefully pluck each out and off of my skin. Some of them cause blood to well up. Once free, I grab the gem. I feel power thrumming from it. It travels under my skin. I don’t know what it does, but the power feels warm and comforting. I think I’ll keep it.

I hear footsteps speeding towards me from behind. I climb up a tree, relying on my instincts. I see two hedgehogs stop at the container. One of them is blue and the other is red and black. “Woah, what is this?” the blue one asks. The black and red one pales (as well as a hedgehog can). He moves around the container. “Some kind of stasis unit,” he replies, “But what was in it?” He keeps looking at it. The blue one steps up to the control panel. “Don’t touch that!” “Well sorr-ey.” “You shouldn’t touch things if you don’t know what they are Sonic.” “Well sorr-ey Mama Shadow.” I had their names now. “Besides” Shadow continues, “I feel like somebody's watching us.” His eyes scan the trees, passing over my spot a few times. Sonic looks as well, also finding nothing. “You’re probably being paranoid, Shads,” Sonic tells him. I smirk, knowing he is not. I hear others enter the clearing.

Multiple figures emerge from the trees. One of them is a yellow fox with two tails holding a gadget. “The emerald is really close,” he says. Accompanying him is a red echidna. He looks at the screen and then looks around. “Looks like this will be a job for treasure hunters,” he claims. Next to him stands a bat. “Well, we’ve got one, me!” she says. The echidna growls at her. “No me!” he says. The two begin to fight. “Fine, we’ll make it a competition!” the bat says, throwing her hands in the air. Behind them I see a robot loaded with weapons. I see an Omega sign on his chest. He is silent.

Shadow refers to the echidna and bat, “Knuckles, Rouge, you find the emerald. As soon as you find it, bring it here. I would suggest you work together.” The bat and echidna don’t look happy, but go off anyway. He turns to the robot, “Omega, I want you to do a sweep of the area. Something’s watching us, and I don’t know what it is. Just find it and let us know when you do.” I hope he doesn’t spot me. “Affirmative. Initiating scan.” That was the first time I ever heard him speak, and hopefully it will be the last. He then gestures to Sonic and the yellow fox, “Sonic, you and me will stick with Tails. Tails, as you can see, there is a really old stasis chamber. Can you try and find out what was in it?” “I can try,” Tails replies, and sets off to work. So stasis chambers aren’t meant to be covered in vines and have plants all around them? Huh, who knew. 

I see the screen light up under Tail’s touch. “Project Nightshade, interesting.” Sonic and Shadow hover around Tails and read the screen. Nightshade...is that...me? Shade. I like that, seems like a fitting name. I think that is what I will call myself, Shade. 

I hear the two treasure hunters return to the clearing. “The gem is obviously in this clearing, so we’ll all be stacked together,” Rouge claims. They still don’t know that I’m here. I hope to keep it that way. They move about the area, starting with the ground and looking up in the trees. I wish I was paying attention to that Omega though.

Omega’s voice rang out across the clearing. “Life form detected. Life form also has chaos energy levels exceeding that of a Chaos Emerald. Likely conclusion, subject is holding the Chaos Emerald.” So that is what this gem is called, a Chaos Emerald. Omega was pointing directly at me. Everyone there looks baffled. Well, until the echidna attacked.

I climb. I climb the tree I was in as high as I could until it began to shaking. Something was ramming the tree and I bet it was that echidna. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard calls for him to stop. They called him Knuckles, so that bat must be Rouge. The tree stops shaking. Knuckles started shouting, but his voice was foggy. All I could hear was my heart beat. I grip the tree as hard as I can but that and the shouting was all I could register. I feel blood well up from my hands. The tree bark is sharp. That seems to snap me out of whatever trance I was in. The creatures down there, they are to be feared. I jumped across to the next tree. Everyone down below noticed. I heard a whirl of tails and a swish of wings. They were coming up to get me.

Quick as a flash I jumped. I jump from tree to tree, not stopping for anyone. I kept moving, not giving the two a chance to catch up. Then I ran out of trees. I saw Shadow and Sonic down there. The other two above the trees are still chasing me. I change direction and keep jumping. Jumping, jumping, jumping. I then climb down, thinking I was far enough away. I hear the boys stop behind me. No time to think, only time to run.

I ran as fast as I could, which was faster than I thought. I think Shadow and Sonic were stunned because it took me longer to hear their feet. Suddenly I came upon a valley. I prepared to slow down a bit, but instead I tripped over a rock. Instead of running down the hill, I tumbled down the hill. I feel winded. Bewildered, I saw Sonic and Shadow at the top of the valley. They were going to approach me. I chaos controlled away before they got the chance.


	3. Chapter 2: Into the Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now our girl appears in a jungle. Wonder what will happen next?

I reappeared in a completely different place. There was a thick canopy of leaves above me. The whole place was humid and warm. The trees here were taller, with thick undergrowth on the forest floor. Could you even call this a forest? Wait, that’s right, this is a rainforest! A place where it is wet and filled with life, with tall trees and a huge canopy. Perfect for me.

I heard a whirring sound in the jungle. I hear the sound of machinery mingling with the calls of animals. Someone is coming. I climb a tall jungle tree and wait for the person to appear. 

A little bald man comes out of the shadows. He has a wide mustache, and a pair of goggles on his forehead. He sits in an almost spherical shaped vehicle, which hovers above the forest floor. Beside him are two robots. The robots are grey, with two circular hands. I couldn’t tell what was in them, but I didn’t want to know. 

“Oh-ho,” the man exclaimed, “now there are two emeralds in the area!” He didn’t know about me, he didn’t know I had an emerald. He commanded the robots. “Dig for that emerald!” The hands yielded shovels as the two began to dig. Up from the earth came a yellow Chaos emerald. I gasped at the sheer amount of power from the two emeralds: the one I held and the one he dug up.

He must have heard me because he looked around. “Wha, wha! What was that sound! Who’s there!” He was shocked by the sound. This caused me to nestle further into the tree. He frightened me. He is so loud. Again, he commanded his robots. “Find the source of that noise!” They scan the canopy and their gaze settles upon me. They both point at me. “Oh-ho! So it is  _ you  _ that has the second Chaos Emerald.” This caused me to clutch it harder. “Hand it over,” he growled. With a voice barely above a whisper I told him no. “No! You frightened child! You probably don’t even know how to use it!” 

That made me angry. Yes, I might not know how to use the emerald, but this emerald was so important to me. This emerald is the only connection to this world, the only hint as to why I am here. A little louder this time, I stepped out of the shadows, and told him no. “Shadow, why haven’t you attacked me yet… Wait, you aren’t Shadow!” His confusion was palpable. “No, I am not Shadow. I am Shade, and I will not let you take this emerald,” I replied. My voice was firm, yet soft and a little raspy. Guess being in stasis for however long I was will do that to you. “Robots, attack! Get that emerald.” The robots’ hands changed into guns. Big guns. 

I jumped from tree to tree, dodging bullets from these robots. I knew they weren’t going to stop, but neither was I. Even if I would be running for another few hours, I would outlast them. I kept going and going and going. The jungle became riddled with bullet holes. Few trees were left without bullets. Animals scattered. They scurried upon the tree branches. They dashed across the ground. They soared through the air. The jungle was awake. And the jungle was screaming. It was screaming for the violence to end. It was screaming for this mad dash to be over. But I kept going.

This went on for another few minutes. Since the start of the mad dash, more robots had joined the bald man’s cause. Big robots and small robots. Robots who could fly and robots confined to the ground. They all tried to get me. And they all failed. I was too fast for them.

And then, from above the canopy, I heard the sound of a plane. I stopped for a moment to look up. And then I got shot. It wasn’t bad, the bullet just scraped my arm. But that reminded me to keep going. I saw Sonic smash the robots. I saw Shadow throwing spears at the robots. And I saw a silver hedgehog ripping them apart with a turquoise light. 

There was enough wiggle room for me to maneuver to the jungle floor and hide in the undergrowth. The robots’ attention was now focused on the hedgehogs. I bet my abilities are similar to Shadow. He can use the emerald that he has, so I probably can as well. I watched him closely. I heard little of what he said, but my best guess was I could do anything if I used the word “chaos” in front of it. 

Eventually, all the robots were cleared out and the bald man was finally defeated. Sonic eventually stumbled across the yellow Chaos Emerald. “Huh, guess Eggman didn’t really want the emerald.” “We don’t know what he’s planning. He could still try to steal it from under our noses,” Shadow said. “I personally agree with Sonic. I think we beat back Eggman for now.” That was the silver hedgehog. “Well, I bet that Nightshade character is around here somewhere. This yellow emerald is still glowing,” Sonic pondered. “Hey! Let’s split up! Shadow, you go one way, I’ll go the next, and Silver, you can look around here.” I guess that silver hedgehog is Silver. Shadow and Silver nod their heads and Sonic and Shadow headed off. 

Once they were out of earshot, Silver turned to my bush and sat down in front of it. “I know you're in there. It’s ok to come out, I’m not gonna hurt you.” His voice was quiet, trying to be calm and soothing to my anxious demeanor. “I can feel your anxiety from here. It’s ok, I promise.” I don’t trust him. I don’t trust him and I don’t trust that Eggman. I poked my head out of the bush. He gave me a small smile. I look down and shake my head. “I’m not coming out. In fact, I was just leaving,” I said. “Ok, I won’t tell the others. Wait, before you go, can I get your name?” he asked. “My name is Shade, Shade the Hedgehog,” and with that, I teleported away.

Silver’s POV

I saw Shade teleport away. I expected her to do that, even if I was hoping to talk to her a little more. I sighed and stood up. I hope wherever she went, she is going to be ok. I looked down at the yellow Chaos Emerald. It had stopped glowing, and so I knew she wasn’t in the area anymore. “Hey Shadow, Sonic! Nightshade’s gone!” I called out to them. I really wanted to use the name she preferred, but I also told her that I would keep our conversation a secret. 

Shadow and Sonic rushed back over to me. “Well, at least we have one emerald. Hopefully that is more than what Eggman has,” Sonic said. Shadow assented and we made our way back over to Tails and the plane. “Did you guys find anything?” he asked. “Yep, we got one emerald bud,” Sonic said, climbing in. We all climbed in. Tails started the plane and we headed for home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to remind you that they all know Shade’s pronouns because her file denoted her as a female.


	4. Chapter 3: What is the Truth?

Silver’s POV

We land at Restoration HQ. As we walk in, we are barraged with questions. People wanna know what Dr. Eggman was doing and who that mysterious hedgehog is and if we got an emerald. Sonic begins to answer all these questions as if the noise doesn’t bother him. I don’t know how he does it.

Then I hear Charmy pipe up, “Hey guys! We got another random Iblis outburst!” Me, Sonic, and Shadow all turn to the computer. We step forward and Vector and Espio move out of the way. Charmy hovers above us.

This is why we were gathering the emeralds, to seal Iblis away once and for all. We don’t know why these random outbursts were happening, but they seemed for now to be confined to one town, almost as if Iblis didn’t have the power to move to other cities.    
  
I’m scared of Iblis. Whenever I see any sort of fire I almost freeze. It reminds me too much of Iblis. The others tend to keep me out of missions with Iblis because even though I am the most experienced, I also freeze. So I just direct the missions as best I can. I’ve tried going on one of those missions once, it didn’t go well…

_ ~~~ _

_ The small town was burning around us. All the citizens had been evacuated. All that was left was to beat back the beast. _

_ Smoke was getting in my eyes. The smell of burning was prevalent in the air. All the right conditions for a panic attack. I could barely hold it together. _

_ We finally beat Iblis back, simple like all the other times. But then I fell apart. I began to shake, and the world flickered before my eyes. Where was I? Was I in the present, in a small burning town? Or was I in the future, watching my home burn? All I saw were my parents, their fur filled with ash and soot and I was little again. Small and scared, I ran up to them shaking them. I didn’t know it at the time, but they had already suffocated from the smoke in our apartment. I remember screaming, trying to wake them up, trying to get help, anything. But help was nowhere to be found. The fire department had disbanded because there was no point in battling the endless flames. Not anymore.  _

_ I flashed forward. I watched Blaze vanish. She took in Iblis and now she is gone. Only for Mephiles to steal Iblis from the princess of Soleana and that to now cause an issue. After defeating Soleana, after Mephiles was sealed in the Scepter of Darkness, Iblis dissipated. Only to turn up now. _

_ But watching Blaze -- I don’t know, die I guess -- reignited those feelings of grief, to the point where it was too much.  _

_ Finally back in the present. The city was ashes, no Iblis to be found, ready to be rebuilt by the Restoration crew. But I was lying on the ground. I was in the fetal position. I look up and I see both Shadow and Sonic on the ground, eyes wide. “What happened?” I ask. “So I was right, he wasn’t aware of what he was doing,” Sonic remarked. Shadow looked at me, concerned “What happened?” I ask again. “You like, freaked out.” Shadow walks over to me. I feel him begin to examine me for injuries. “I’m fine,” I say, pushing him away. “Ok, but you are getting checked over by Tails when we get back. And I don’t think you should go on Iblis missions anymore. Like, any,” Shadow says stepping away. I nod my head in understanding. I get up, help Sonic up, and Shadow chaos controls us back to Restoration HQ. After that, it was decided that I would only advise during Iblis missions, never actually go on them, so as not to trigger flashbacks. _

_ ~~~ _

“Ok then, we know what to do, right Shadow?” Sonic asks. Shadow nods and we all put our earpieces in. Shadow and Sonic both get their com cams on and the monitor switches to a feed from those cams. “Ok guys. Remember, I will advise you, so if you need anything at all, let me know. Also, if things are going on around you, please clue me in. Those cameras only show one direction,” I say to them. Shadow and Sonic nod their heads. “Alright, Iblis seems to be at Speed Highway. Good luck!” Charmy pipes. Shadow and Sonic chaos control away, and I’m left sitting at the monitors, helping them out as they need.

Eggman’s POV

“Argh! Curse that blue hedgehog! Always getting in my way!” I shout to the void. I look over my plans, my carefully laid plans, to make a machine to control the flames of disaster. To get the flames, I need all the chaos emeralds, but that pesky hedgehog now has two.

I wonder though, who is that black and purple hedgehog, and why did they have an emerald? I think poking around the Restoration database will help me, I think they have G.U.N’s files as well. It will probably be easy to find the hedgehog, considering few can use only one chaos emerald without the others.

I narrow down my search to just that and find 2. Wait, 2? I thought only Shadow could do that. Well, I guess there is a new contender in the ring for Ultimate Lifeform. I chuckle at the thought. “Project Nightshade… hmm… I wonder what you are…”

Shade’s POV

I appear in an abandoned warehouse. The roof is high, ladders everywhere, and roof supports to swing from. The perfect place to try to copy Shadow’s moves, mixing them with my instincts. I survey the warehouse, but everything is as it seems. It’s large, it’s fairly empty, and it is dark. Again, perfect. I take a second to look at my hands. It appears that all the splinters on my hands are gone. Huh, I wonder how that happened. But then I hear footsteps.

I whip around behind me to see a squirrel walking towards me. He is completely black, with gray belly fur and tail stripes. He had this air of arrogance, this air of knowledge. I quickly sprinted into the shadows.

“Do not be afraid, my child,” he said, holding his hands out, palms up. “I don’t want to hurt you. In fact, I want to help you.” He stood there, not moving. I wasn’t moving either. “My name is Mephiles dear child. I want to help you.” I peeked out from behind the support beam I was behind. His voice was soothing my anxiety. “I can help you learn to fight. Help you learn to wield that chaos emerald you hold.” “What do you want if I take your offer?” I ask. “Simple, there is something I want and I want your help to get it. I help you and you help me. Do you want my help?” he told me. Hmmm… it would be pretty stupid to not accept help. I mean, I think I have pissed off two of the biggest groups in this world, so maybe a bit of help would be nice.

“Will I be able to keep my chaos emerald?” I ask. “Of course. I may need to borrow it at the end, but otherwise you may keep it.” “Alright, I’ll take your help.” 

“To begin, you will want to heal that scratch on your arm,” he tells me. “I can do that?” I ask. “Of course you can. All you must do is say ‘chaos heal’ and your arm will be healed. Just make sure to keep holding a chaos emerald as you do so.” I do as he tells me and to my astonishment, my arm is healed! Maybe he isn’t lying to me. He chuckles at my look of astonishment. “You can do much with the chaos emeralds. They can take your deepest wishes and make them a reality. They can take your whims and create them. But the most power comes when you get all 7. Then miracles really do come true. Let me show you what I wish to do with the emeralds once I get them. I just need you to come here.” I cautiously approach him. He quickly closes the gap and I tense. He takes my arm and my world goes black.

I reappear in a lush forest. “Imagine if the whole world could look like this. Imagine if the world could look just as it once did.” Mephlis’s voice guides me through a beautiful world. Empty mountains, bubbling hot springs, empty oases with no towns around them. Sprawling hills and lots and lots of forests. He then shows me something else. He shows me the past. “Look at this lush green forest. Can you guess where this was?” he asks. “No, I’ve never seen anything like it,” I reply. Then he begins to show me history. He shows me creatures, creatures he calls mobians, coming in and cutting down the forest. It hurts my soul. In its place lies a sprawling city. “Our bodies are currently standing in the graveyard of a forest. Doesn’t it  _ hurt _ you?” he questions. I feel this overwhelming sense of grief. Is this feeling my own, or are some of his bleeding over into mine?

We reappear in the warehouse. I stare around in amazement, trying to imagine this as a forest. I feel hollow, for what this could have been. “Technology is the root of all evil. It is what destroyed this land. It is what has kept you asleep for so long. It is what has kept me contained. By returning this world to its natural state, we wipe the slate clean. No more technology, not anymore,” he claims. “But technology is what brought me here. Surely technology cannot be the root of all evil.” “Oh but it is. Yes, you were created by technology, but you were created as a weapon to hurt others. Yes, you directly are not evil, but what created you is. We cannot reverse your creation, but we can stop other weapons from being created,” he replies. I guess I never thought of it that way. “We have much work to do to teach you how to use your abilities to the fullest, so let’s get to it,” he says, clapping his hands. We begin to work.

Over the course of the day, he teaches me the basics. I learn how to use Chaos spears, how to Chaos burst, and how to use Chaos blast. He teaches me the finer points of my powers, like how to confine my Chaos control to one place. He even has me spar with some clones of him. But above all else, he instilled in me never to remove my inhibitor rings. Never ever because it will put me in great danger. That is why they are there after all.

Mephlies has deemed me ready enough to face the Restoration. He says their name with disdain, as if cursing them. I disagree. I feel they are trying to restore the world in the way they see best, just as we are. They are trying to do it with a more tech heavy focus as compared to a nature heavy focus. I don’t believe in getting rid of all technology, but I do believe too much is bad. Maybe they can work together or at least alongside each other.

I find my little corner of the factory. It is dark, it is safe, it is warm. This is my first sleeping space since the stasis chamber. Heck, this is my first actual sleep ever. I feel safe here, far away from everything. Even far away from Mephiles. I have a healthy amount of caution around my new teammate, but he hasn’t tried to come back here. This space feels safe. And here is where I sleep the night away before the morning.

Our first thing to do is to collect all the chaos emeralds. Two are held by the Restoration and one is held by me. If we can get another two, we will hold the advantage. We will take advantage of the free chaos emeralds before going for the ones already taken and protect the ones we already have. The first emerald is in a factory, so we head out to get it.


	5. Chapter 4: Where are the Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to get another chapter up! I was going to try and edit but I never got the motivation to so I just decided to write another chapter. I hope you enjoy.

We head out to the factory. Along the way, I see missing posters for Mephlies. I wonder who is missing him? Or is that even his body at all? Yeah, I don’t know much about my new teammate. Again, I have a healthy amount of caution around him. His conviction is strong, which makes me worry a bit. If worst came to worst, would he sacrifice me for his goals? Would he let me die or even kill me to achieve what he wants? Those aren’t questions I want answered and the answers kinda worry me.

I take out my Chaos Emerald, and it glows brighter. We are definitely getting close. I hear more footsteps. Mephiles dismisses me off into the shadows to hide. He knows how I fight best. 

This time, it’s only Sonic, Shadow, Silver, and Tails initially. I don’t know who could be back up. “Whoa! My meter is detecting two chaos emeralds! I think that Nightshade could be around here!” Tails warns. “You should wish it was only her,” Mephiles tells them. They all look at him in disbelief. “No, you were in the Scepter of Darkness!” Silver crys. “I was, until I manipulated that worker to come free me. No matter, I’m here now and you aren’t getting that emerald,” Mephiles explains. “And what about that poor worker’s family. They have been searching for him for days. And now there is no hope, because you killed him!” Shadow exclaims. Killed him -- no -- Mephiles killed someone! Who have I teamed up with. “I am not even all of your problems. Nightshade, why don’t you show them what they are dealing with,” Mephiles says. I wipe the look of shock off my face and step out of the shadows. I’m uncertain about the path I’m on, but I will find out the truth eventually.

The Restoration team looks at me in disbelief. “What lies did he tell you to get you to join his side!?” Silver asks. He’s angry, the angriest I’ve ever seen him. And so I tell him. “I saw a lush forest. I saw the destruction of life to make way for this concrete structure. I felt anger and grief around this destruction. The only path to restoration is through nature and nature alone. Nature must be nurtured so it can nurture us.” “Yeah, and do you know the price to pay for this?” Silver asks. I shake my head no. “Well, let me show you.” I am showered in a turquoise light, as once again, my world goes black.

I open them to a sea of fire. The world below me is in flames. “This is the price to pay for his plan,” Silver tells me. We flash to a home, with a dead family inside. “These innocent lives are the price to pay.” He shows me roasted animals. “This blood will be on your hands. Are you sure you want to do this?” He then shows me a dead vision of myself, my face still frozen in shock. “If nothing else, then ask yourself this. Will he really keep you alive at the end? Can you guarantee your safety from the carnage?” The obvious answer to this was no. So why am I still working with him?   
  
I open my eyes. Yes, this man trained me, but he cannot give me anything else. If I follow him, will I find my purpose? “Is it true?” I ask Mephiles. “Will thousands, ney, millions die for this?” “Only those who oppose me and those who would want to destroy the world I want to build,” he says. “And what qualifies for that? Innocent families? Innocent animals?” I ask. “Few will die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make. Would you believe the words of an enemy over the words of your mentor?” he asks. I still have that healthy amount of concern for him, but I do believe him. “Ok, I believe you,” I tell him. What he doesn’t know is that I will be watching him. If he gives me reason to disbelieve him, I will leave him. Silver’s eyes bug out. “You what!” he sputers. “He is a liar. He is a murderer! He wants to let everything burn to achieve his goals! He’ll burn you too.” Do I believe him? Silver is kind, but I don’t know if I can trust him. I don’t know what his ulterior motives are.    
  
I’ll stay with Mephlies for now, but be wary of him. I lunge for the emerald on the floor and turquoise light shoves me back. My head smacks against the wall. My ears ring and my vision doubles. I groan. The world shifts in and out of focus as I fall to the ground. I hear Mephiles roar, “NO!” I can’t tell what he is roaring at. I feel someone trying to pick me up and I let out a burst of chaos. That forces them back. Someone else approached me. I power up another burst, but then I hear Mephiles’s voice. I couldn’t make out the words, but they were meant to be reassuring. He picked me up and we teleported away.

We arrive in the warehouse. Mephile darkens the windows and blocks the sunset coming in. I really want to sleep, but Mephiles insists that I stay awake. He lays me down on the concrete. He puts his hand against my forehead. I feel pressure on my conscience. I think he is trying to get into my mind! I don’t want him to know how I feel about him. “Let me in,” he says. I twitch against him. “Let me find out just how bad this concussion is.” The pressure becomes greater. My breathing hitched. I hear him sigh above me. The pressure breaks through and he is in my head. His presence was gentle, only touching the tip of my mind. Then he withdrew. “It shouldn’t be too bad. Bed rest for a few days should be fine.” He picked me up and brought me to my corner. He lays me down on the blankets and puts a curtain around my corner, giving me some privacy. “I want to borrow your emerald, for safekeeping, until you get better,” he said. “No, I want to keep it while you are here. I will give it to you when you leave,” I tell them. He agrees. “Now rest little one, so you feel better soon,” he says as I drift off to sleep.

Silver’s POV

My eyelids drooped as I stared at the screen. I had been up for a while, strategizing how to defeat Mephiles and get his emerald. I know that charging head on wouldn’t work, he would tear us apart. Maybe we could draw him out and then steal the emerald from Shade. But how do we know if she has the emerald? My head goes in circles, always returning to her. How could she do this, how could she join forces with him. I feel heartbroken. He probably tricked her somehow. I sigh, my head spinning in circles. I hear the clatter of high heels behind me.

  
“Why are you still up, sugar?” Rogue asks. I turn to face her. “We have to defeat Mephiles. Especially with Iblis around and Nightshade on his side. I can’t believe she joined him though. Wasn’t what I said enough?” I question. “I think you came on a little strong sugar. I think that you were mad and started shouting and that made her feel uneasy around you. I doubt knocking her into a wall of concrete helped,” Rogue replied. “Why are you up by the way?” “I was just returning from a GUN mission and found you here. How about we get you to bed sugar?” I nod. “Why do you call me sugar?” I ask. As Rogue leads me out of the room, she replies. “It’s cause you're sweet as sugar, sugar. I have nicknames like that for everyone.” 

We come to my room and she opens the door. The moment I sit on the bed, my eyes droop further. I feel her take off my boots, gloves, and socks and she lays me down. I feel her put the covers over me and tuck me in. She kisses me on the forehead and as she leaves the room, she says, “Goodnight sugar.” I’m out like a light after that.


End file.
